In other words, the more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest. In turn, this will actually help you burn fat.Ī pound of muscle burns 3 times more calories at rest than a pound of fat. Throughout your weight loss journey, your focus should be to gain muscle. Your body composition refers to the percentage of muscle, fat, and other tissue you have ( 3). To avoid this pitfall, you need to increase your muscle mass to continue to lose weight, as well as sustain it. This leads to a vicious, unsustainable cycle. This means you burn fewer calories at rest, and it also means you will need to eat even less, to continue to lose weight. Eventually, this leads to a weight loss plateau, or even a rebound, because the body has less muscle tissue. Initial weight loss due to caloric restriction usually happens due to lost water and muscle, along with some fat. While this is important to help you burn more calories, it’s not sufficient in the long run and may lead to weight loss plateaus. When it comes to weight loss and exercise, most people automatically think of doing more cardio. The Role of Resistance Training in Healthy Weight Loss Meanwhile, strength training can help you build muscle, boosting your metabolic rate (as described in more detail below). For instance, taking daily walks is a great habit that can help you lose and sustain weight loss. Get your foundations (the above pillars) nailed down, then incorporate a regular exercise routine. Physical Activityįor weight loss, exercise is the last piece of the equation. Additionally, meditation, gratitude, deep breathing, and other relaxation techniques can help you learn to manage your stress and become more emotionally resilient. When working to improve this area of your life, talking with a professional can help you navigate through your emotions and mental state. Emotional and Mental HealthĮmotional stress can slow down your metabolism, increase your appetite (particularly for energy-dense foods), lead to emotional eating, and encourage sedentary behaviors due to a lack of motivation. From there, they may recommend a sleep study to help you get to the bottom of your sleep woes. If you’re constantly waking up tired, even after sleeping for 8 hours, you may want to discuss your options with your doctor. Most experts recommend that the average adult gets 7to 9 hours of quality sleep per night. This is due to the high levels of cortisol in the body, which promote fat storage, particularly around the mid-section. When the body is stressed, it’s that much harder to lose weight. This can lead to high stress levels, potentially detering weight loss efforts. Without sleep, your body does not have sufficient time to rest and recover. All of this is to say that sleep is important if your goal is to lose fat! Adequate sleep is even considered a viable treatment option for obesity ( 2). Studies even demonstrate how insufficient sleep undermines dietary efforts associated with losing weight (1). Sleep is one of the most underrated factors associated with sustainable weight loss. Track your calories to ensure you’re not overeating.Ĭut out empty calories, such as processed and sugary foods.Īvoid fad diets that are not sustainable.įocus on eating whole and nutrient-rich foods. When it comes to weight loss and your diet, here are a few tips: Yet, “diet” also simply refers to what you eat day-in and day-out. When we mention the word “diet,” many people quickly think of cutting calories or cutting out entire food groups (hello, keto diet!). However, if you don’t have these other variables down-pat, you might find it difficult to sustain your weight loss. At the end of the day, you could do everything right when it comes to resistance training. What Are the Pillars of Healthy Weight Loss?īefore we dig deeper into the concept of strength training, let’s take a closer look at the other pillars of healthy weight loss. Here, we cover what you need to know about the secret to sustaining weight loss (i.e., resistance training), including whether you should consider strength training and, more importantly, how you could incorporate it into your life. So, if you’re wondering why you’ve plateaued or begun to gain some weight back even when eating less than before, this article could help you out. While this matters to some extent, there’s a key piece missing in the calories-in-calories-out strategy. Unfortunately, many individuals get misled by focusing on calories-counting calories to compare the calories they burn to the calories they consume. Yet, the type of exercise you perform may matter more than you think. When it comes to weight loss, exercise is undeniably important.
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